The first newspaper in Sussex was the Sussex Weekly Advertiser, or Lewes Journal. Launched in 1749; it covered the whole of the county, including Brighton. The first newspaper in Brighton was the Brighton Herald, which was also the longest-lived, surviving for 8,821 editions from 6 September 1806 to 30 September 1971.
At the time these newspapers were founded they were subject to the Stamp Act, legislation passed in 1712 as a way of pricing copies beyond the means of the working classes, who might be too susceptible to radicalisation. This avoided imposing overt political censorship on the press. The tax was set initially at 1d per whole sheet, ½d for a half sheet and 1s for each advertisement. It increased to 3½d in 1797 and a maximum of 4d per newspaper and 3s 6d on all advertisements in 1815.
In 1819, the Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act—one of the 'Six Acts' intended to suppress sedition after the Peterloo Massacre—required publishers to deposit a bond with the government as surety against possible infringement: £300 for London papers, £200 in the regions.

The Act applied to any newspaper costing less than 6d, that was published more frequently than every 26 days and contained 'any Public News, Intelligence of Occurrences, or any Remarks or Observations thereon, or upon any Matter in Church or State'. A penalty of £20 was imposed for publishing or selling a newspaper without paying the stamp duty.
Printing paper was also taxed. However, newspapers bearing the 4d stamp could be sent free of charge through the mail.
Despite the tax, nine newspapers were founded in Brighton before the Stamp Act was abolished in 1855 and three of them survived into the second half of the 20th century.
The first to launch after that was the Brighton Observer in 1856, followed by five more titles by 1860. The pace then started to quicken but with competition came failure. Of the three papers launched in 1864, none survived more than a few months, although one of these, Brighton Election Reporter, was intended to run for only the duration of the parliamentary by-election that year.

The failures continued right to the end of the 19th century. Of the 54 newspapers in this list, 15 did not survive through a second year. On the other hand, the three earliest titles survived longest—for around 160 years—and another early one, Sussex Express (1851), for over 100 years. And The Argus is still with us, 134 years old.

Unfortunately very few of these newspapers are yet available online. The promised digitisation of the collection from the former Brighton History Centre, now in The Keep at Falmer, has not happened and looks unlikely in the foreseeable future. Only the Brighton Patriot, Sussex Advertiser and Sussex Express are yet included in the British Newspaper Archive, based on the British Library's massive holdings.

Brighton Daily News
1868 November 2: launched as daily.
1880 May 31: final issue. Incorporated into recently founded The Argus

Brighton Election Reporter
1864 February 10-25: Founded by Leslie Stephen. Six issues only—dated 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 25 February—price ½d, copies given to newsboys for nothing.16, 17
A set of all six editions of this newspaper was presented to the British Library by Millicent Garrett Fawcett, wife of the unsuccessful Liberal candidate, Henry Fawcett (see Elections), who wrote: 'When my husband was first a candidate for Brighton in 1864, none of the existing Brighton papers would put in anything in his support: and his friend Mr Leslie Stephen started and edited and in the main wrote, a little paper called the Brighton Election Reporter.'

Brighton Herald
1806 September 6: first edition, published by H Robertson Attree and Matthew Philips; editor: Robert Sicklemore. Liberal.
1808 May: Philips out. Offices move to top of North Street5.
1810 January: manager William Fleet in partnership with Attree.
1810 April: Attree out.
1815: first newspaper to report Napoleon's escape from Elba.
date? moves to Prince's Place.
1830: first newspaper to report start of the French revolution.
1839: John Bishop (future local historian) working for the company.
1843: William Fleet's son Charles in partnership.
1848: first newspaper to report arrival of Louis Phillipe at Newhaven.
1851: circulation 60,0002.
1852: circulation 60,0002.
1853: circulation 61,0002.
1858: price: 4d.
1864: William Fleet retires. John George Bishop in partnership with Charles Fleet.
1880 June: Charles Fleet retires, leaving Bishop in sole charge.
1891: Saturdays1.
1902 July 19: renamed Brighton Herald and Hove Chronicle.
1905: published by William H Attwick, Prince's Place. Saturdays10.
1934: new building opens on west side of Prince's Place (above, as seen in the 1965 film Be My Guest), bearing the Brighton coat of arms.
1938: at 2 Pavilion Buildings and 2 Regent Street7.
1971 September 30: final edition (no 8621). Incorporated into Brighton and Hove Gazette.
• British Newspaper Archive

Brighton, Hove and Cliftonville Advertiser
1880 January 23-1881 August 1216
See Brighton Advertiser

Brighton Patriot and Lewes Free Press
1835 February 24: Published Tuesdays by William Heaves Smithers, 143 North Street7.
1836 July 5: renamed Brighton Patriot and South of England Free Press.
1839 August 13: Final edition. Discontinued.
1840 January 19-July 12: Title briefly revived in The Southern Star and London and Brighton Patriot, published in London.
• British Newspaper Archive

The Brighton Season1904: Published at 35 East Street by Brighton Standard and Fashionable Visitors List and subtitled 'A Record of the Season's Social Happenings'. Heavy advertising content and lavish photography (mainly portraits) in book format (40pp + cover). Price 6d.
1927-28 edition: subtitled 'The Magazine de Luxe for Brighton Boudoirs & Drawing Rooms'. Price: 1s.
Most editions can be downloaded from the Royal Pavilion & Museums collection.

Brighton Times
1860: launched as weekly.
1866: published at 205 Western Road. Saturdays.
1867: published by William Pearce .
1891: published by William Edward Nash, 205 Western Road, Fridays1.
date? Nash renames it Brighton & Hove Times10.
1915: closed.